by Matilde Lorenzi, a 19-year-old Italian ski champion, has died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced on Tuesday.
Lorenzi was training on the Schnalstal glacier on Monday when she fell and hit her head on the hard slope and suffered head trauma.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Matilde Lorenzi,” the organization said in its statement. “The FIS joins the FISI [Italian Winter Sports Federation] President Flavio Roda and the entire Italian winter sports community are in mourning, including coaches, athletes, teammates, the federal council and all FISI staff.
“[Lorenzi] was tragically lost following a fall during training on the Grawand G1 track in Val Senales,” reports the organization.
Lorenzi was flown to a hospital in nearby Bolzano after her fall, but did not recover from her head injuries.
Her death was announced shortly after by the Italian Ministry of National Defense, to which she was attached as a sports soldier, a member of the state-funded army.
“This is a tragic loss,” gold medalist skier Lindsey Vonn wrote on Instagram. “I send my thoughts to his family.”
Originally from Villarbasse, a commune in the Italian metropolitan city of Turin, Lorenzi made his professional debut in a junior race at Santa Caterina Valfurva in 2020.
During her budding career, she competed almost exclusively in FIS races throughout Italy.
Lorenzi was crowned Italian Super-G league champion after the 2023-24 season and she has two top-15 finishes in the European Cup.
She also competed at the 2024 Junior World Championship in Haute-Savoie, where she finished fourth in the Alpine Team Combine.
“FISI is in mourning, alongside her family, friends and all those who cherished Matilde, honoring her memory today and always,” FIS said.
